Everest Base Camp - Day 2 and 3 (Namche)

Benkar - Namche Bizaar 4:20 hours 3,410m Khumbu lodge
Namche acclimatization day 4h 4,880

Today, we started early in the morning and trekked 1 hour to Monjo. We had to go slowly because some of us were already being affected by the altitude. The altitude made my dad and I feel out of breath when going up the hills, and a slight headache. After Monjo, we went another hour and a half. There were lots of suspension bridges and yaks and mules. We always gave the right of way to the animals, especially the Yaks because of their huge horns. Also, they aren't very smart and don't get out of the way when they see a human.

It was uphill between Benkar and Monjo, but for the next 1.5 hours, it wasn't too hilly. However, after the last suspension bridge, it was uphill for 2 hours until we reached Namche. We took a break every half hour and stopped to have a snack along the way so we could catch our breath. We had to drink lots of water to prevent dehydration.

We got to Namche in time for lunch and spent the rest of the day exploring Namche and relaxing. I spent the afternoon reading while my dad, sister and mom walked around Namche and looked at some of the stores.

For our acclimatization day, we started with a short 1h hike up to a spot where we could see lots of the mountains. Acclimatization days are where you spend two nights in one place and during your day there, you have to hike up to a higher point. It helps you get acclimatized so you don't get altituede sickness.

We could see a bit of Everest from the first hike, but the summit was covered in clouds, so we couldn't really see it. We saw a big statue of Tenzing Norgay, who was the first Sherpa to summit Mount Everest with Sir Edmund Hilary in 1956. When we got back down, we did a second hike up to the Everest view hotel. It was still to cloudy to see Everest, but we got a really good view of some of the other mountains. It was about 3 hours total, 2 to get up and 1 to get back down. It was a 470m elevation and it was really hard. It seemed never ending; every time I thought we were almost there, we weren't. It finally leveled out and Neve and my mom stopped while me and my dad kept on going towards the viewpoint.

When we were heading down, it seemed to take so long. It was surprising how far up we had actually gone.

The tea houses get pretty cold, and they just get colder and colder as you go up. The teahouses have no insulation like the houses do in Canada. Namche is the last village where you can buy supplies for your trek. We decided to buy some little insulated booties for three of us. Lots of the little shops sell them in different colors. After that, we went to the Himalayan cafe where we tried some of their delicious walnut brownies and chocolate cake. The walnut brownies were soooo good!
-SophieRead more